Skip to main content

Prof. Elizabeth Sarange Bosire Abenga - Inauguration Speech

|   PAU
  • Your Excellency the Commissioner Human Resource Science and Technology of the AUC Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor.  
  • The Director HRST AUC, Dr. Mahama Ouedraogo
  • The representative of African Union at Cameroun, Director IAPSC Dr. Jean Gerard Mezui 
  • The Rector, Pan African University Prof. Kassa Belay,
  • The Rector University of Yaoundé II Prof. Adolphe Minkoa She
  • The Vice Rector, PAU Dr. Gilles Ogandaga
  • Coordinator, African Union Sports council Dr. Decoys Chipande
  • PAUGHSS staff and students
  • Ladies and gentlemen,

 

Welcome to PAUGHSS and to the events of the day.

 

Your Excellency, distinguished members of the delegation, ladies and gentlemen,

I thank you for the confidence in me and for appointing me as the Director PAU - Institute of Governance Human Resource and Social Sciences a position I accepted with all humility to serve to the best of my ability. I thank you for your presence here today and welcome you to PAUGHSS. Thank you for creating time from your busy schedules for meeting with the PAUGHSS family and for the inauguration today. I believe that the Future will be guided by a relationship of mutual trust and support between us all and with the various governance structures, institutions and organizations that partner with us, and are crucial to the achievement of the objectives this great institution.

Your Excellency the Commissioner, distinguished Guests,


I thank you all for gracing the ceremony that marks the beginning of my journey in PAUGHSS and in this beautiful nation, Cameroun. I must mention that I has been a long and fascinating journey.

As I join PAUGHSS and PAU this moment is marked by expectations, both from AUC, HRST, PAU, PAUGHSS, all stakeholders and myself. The expectations are justified by the goals and objectives that are to be realized through this role and the contributions that PAUGHSS has to make towards achievement of these goals. The realization of the aspirations of SDGs, Agenda 2063, and in particular towards enhancing the realization of an integrated, peaceful and prosperous Africa.

All of us recognize the challenges faced towards realization of these goals and vision. And more so the global stressor occasioned by the COVID 19 pandemic, and inadequate resources. However, I am encouraged because these challenges in part, are the reason for our existence as an organization, to contribute towards finding solutions. Challenges make us stronger, more innovative resilient and committed to our course, and with togetherness they are surmountable and expectations can be reasonably well met. Confucius stated that “the man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones”. That is encourages me.

With this backdrop, I wish to commit towards upholding the principles of PAU, a continental academic, research and innovation institution established to exemplify excellence in Higher Education in Africa. These principles include but are not limited to:

  • Academic freedom, autonomy and accountability,
  • Quality assurance
  • Promotion of African integration in all our activities
  • Excellence, promotion of optimal use of ICTs for research, teaching and management
  • Promotion of gender equality, promotion of linkages, strengthening of research

And all within the statutory frameworks to team up and work towards realization of PAU objectives:

 

The Pan African University has clear objectives to be achieved.

I commit to do my part towards the realization of these objectives and call upon the support of each one of us involved. I want to appreciate the enormous heights attained so far through my predecessor and founding director Prof. Ebode Ntuda. Through my previous experiences I know that it is not easy to establish such a great institution from nothing. I congratulate you Prof. Ntuda and state that your contributions will forever remain in the annals of this institute. My journey therefore is to continue towards realizing these objectives and growing the institution further.

An important commitment I make is to the quality of education and experience of our students. Being a continental program, I commit to ensuring that the spirit of Pan Africanism through intercultural and multicultural appreciation and integration is a key tenet of PAUGHSS in line with the vision the African Union. The students should be the epicenter of the Institute, and ours is to offer quality services through our various responsibilities, roles and competencies. This purpose calls for collaborative efforts between all key stakeholders and facilitators.

On this note I recognize the benevolent role of the host government and the host institution to PAUGHSS and will endeavor to nurture the desired working relationship that exist.

These commitments and the implementation processes are embodied in the policy documents, the Strategic Plan and individual work plans. However, the implementation of the Strategic Plan must be coherent with the resources, structure and culture of the PAU and PAUGHSS. It is with this in mind, coupled with the expectations we all have that I call for a joining of hands to make PAUGHSS the center of excellence in Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences is the continent, to serve as exemplary to other institutions in the continent.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen

What we have to do and intend to do, will only be achieved if we have human and other resources needed for all the functions and the will to apply them diligently.

I will finish by inspiring myself in the voice of the poet who wrote: “The University, like the world, ends not in the limit of vision, but in our capacity to imagine it, to project it and to dream it”.

Fully aware of the enormous responsibility placed upon me, I believe that I will not be alone. I call upon us all to contribute to this purpose! Everyone has their place and their role in a stronger and more inclusive PAUGHSS!

I count on you for the realization of this commitments to the Future! Otherwise, the future will not forgive us if we do not do our part. I am ready to do mine. How about you?

Thank you so much

God bless Africa, God bless AU, God bless PAU, God bless PAUGHSS and God bless us all.